Lou Pinella shuffled to the top step of the Mariners dugout in the bottom of the eighth and gestured toward his bullpen: Get Randy Johnson ready.

Johnson, the 6-10 left-hander marked by a signature lampshade mustache, stood from his bluish-gray seat down the left field line and began to throw. Seattle’s bullpen was located on the field at the time, putting him in sight of all 57,000 fans, and the crowd almost immediately recognized the significance of his practice tosses.

He had pitched seven innings against the Yankees in Game 3 of the 1995 ALDS two days before, and he started his warm up session unsure whether exhaustion would limit his effectiveness in Game 5. The excitement pulsing through the stadium alleviated his concern.

Johnson entered in the ninth, the score tied, and the anticipation that had been building since he began warming up turned to a standing applause. He completed three innings, allowing one run. The Mariners won 6-5 in 11 innings, thanks to Edgar Martinez's iconic two-run walk-off double, to advance to their first-ever ALCS.

It was one of several significant moments in baseball history involving on-field bullpens, once a ubiquitous sight but now a dying design feature of MLB stadiums. Injury and comfort concerns from athletes and lofty revenue goals from MLB teams have prompted their sharp decline.

Since 1989, when the Rogers Centre opened in Toronto, the number of on-field bullpens in the league has declined from 15 to three, minimizing the quirky and occasionally iconic occurrences allowed by expanded, obstacle course-like foul territory.

The stadium feature will likely be gone altogether within the next decade. The Cubs, one of baseball’s last holdouts, put their bullpen under the Wrigley Field bleachers in 2017. The Giants are reportedly set to move their mound behind the Oracle Park outfield wall in the near future, and Oakland and Tampa Bay are angling for new stadiums.

While acknowledging tradition, such as Johnson’s dramatic ALDS appearance, MLB players told Sporting News they’ll be pleased when on-field bullpens go extinct, positioning it as a long-overdue outcome. Health scares on or near sloped mound areas have persuaded them to take that stance.

"You see some of these guys go over there and it gets pretty ugly," Nationals left-hander Sean Doolittle said. "It just seems like an unnecessary risk.”

‘That damn mound’

Earl Weaver wasn’t in the mood to compromise when he clashed with third base umpire Marty Springstead at Exhibition Stadium on Sept. 15, 1977. After Springstead refused to have a tarp covering the on-field visiting bullpen in Toronto removed, the Orioles’ manager took his team and went home. Baltimore’s forfeit resulted in an automatic 9-0 loss to the Blue Jays.

Weaver’s concern was the health of left fielder Andres Mora, who “almost broke his leg on that damn (mound)” the day before, Weaver told reporters . Weaver said he would consult with the Players Association about the ongoing presence of on-field bullpens in baseball.

“We're going to see if we can't get this bullpen moved into a separate area the way they do in the rest of the major league parks,” said Weaver, not acknowledging the other stadiums, such as the Astrodome and Oakland Coliseum, that also carried bullpens in the field of play.

More than 40 years later, calmer souls than Weaver have come to lament the persistence of those bullpens, not only because of injuries but also because of the lack of comfort for relief pitchers.

When Aroldis Chapman, the Yankees’ top reliever, played for the Reds, he accidentally nailed first base umpire Ron Kulpa on the fly with a warmup pitch from San Francisco’s visiting mound. His fastball can exceed 100 mph, and Kulpa bent over in pain, his hands on his knees, after being drilled on the right arm. Play stopped for the umpire to receive medical attention.

“He f—ing smoked me,” Kulpa could be seen telling his fellow crewmembers on TV.

A’s right-hander Liam Hendriks said his first career relief appearance came in Oakland, and he was so worried that a wild practice throw would roll onto the field during live action that he didn’t attempt any breaking balls. The lack of cover while waiting in the early innings down the line also bothered him.

“It’s not something I’m huge on,” Hendriks said. “Generally there’s no shade for whoever is warming up on the field and it’s not the best setup. … Most bullpens these days, if you’re not on the field, they have covered areas where you can sit. In day games on the field, we’re getting roasted by the sun.”

Nationals left-hander Sean Doolittle, who began his MLB career in Oakland, agreed with Hendriks. He doesn’t worry quite as much about balls getting away, but he does believe his rhythm more difficult to find.

“I take a little while to get ready,” Doolittle said. “I like the space an enclosed bullpen provides to be able to stretch and move around.

“I know how spoiled I sound saying that, but I think (not being on the field) does help you get ready a little better. You can get warmer quicker.”

When asked what his favorite memory of Oracle Park was before joining the Giants via trade last month, second baseman Scooter Gennett quipped, “well it’s definitely not running after a fly ball in foul territory, tripping on the bullpen mound and the ball hitting the backside of my glove.”

Even A’s third baseman Matt Chapman, who uses the expansive foul territory in Oakland to show off his defensive ability, doesn’t think the configuration is necessary.

“I know where (the mound) is at, but for other guys that don’t play there that often, it may be a little more scary,” Chapman said. “Guys who don’t come to this field very often, I’ve seen them almost trip or collide with a guy warming up.”

Added Astros left fielder Michael Brantley: “As a corner outfielder I would like the (bullpens) to be off the field. One less thing you have to avoid going that way.”

‘They need to do something’

In the 1960s and 1970s, owners rushed to build multi-purpose stadiums to host sports year-round. The odd dimensions of those venues encouraged vast foul territories, and many teams figured they should place their relievers in that empty space down the lines.

Among the versatile stadiums of that era were the Astrodome in Houston and Kingdome in Seattle, which each housed NFL and MLB games for decades. Now, just two multi-purpose structures remain in MLB: the Oakland Coliseum (built in 1966) and Tropicana Field (built in 1990).

The shortcomings of those buildings underline where multi-purpose design plans have struggled to deliver. For fans seeking more intimate entertainment experiences, cavernous facilities are distancing, said Populous principal and design director Bryon Chambers. His firm, formerly known as HOK Sport Venue, has contributed to the design 23 of the 30 MLB stadiums currently in use. It pioneered the shift of mounds to behind outfield walls as a means of improving club revenue.

“As we began to transition to ballpark-specific design, where they weren’t trying to solve all issues in one building, what you started to see was a trend toward moving the fans closer to the field,” Chambers said. “It also offered from a revenue standpoint an opportunity to design spaces around those bullpens (in the outfield) so that the crowd could look down in and get to see that from a more casual viewing experience.”

Designing fields with fans able to sit closer to the action, often paying higher ticket prices, has also proven a reliable approach for teams to optimize profit margins, Chambers said.

That change, of course, was not exclusively Populous’ idea. A small, “pretty eclectic” group comprising designers, team presidents and occasionally general managers and baseball operations leaders generally meet in the initial design stage of stadiums. Changing the league standard for bullpens, then, arrived via collaborative discussion.

Most baseball architects are now focused on adding entertainment options while potentially lowering seating capacities even further, Chambers said. It’s a continuation of the experience-first approach that began in the ‘90s, which put the removal of on-field bullpens in motion. Given the ongoing injury concerns for players, the momentum toward their total elimination has become overwhelming.

“They need to do something," Nationals right-hander Fernando Rodney said. "It’s dangerous for the fielders because outfielders, infielders can come together going for the ball. Their career can be over (then). That just can’t happen.”

‘Games are just different here’

The issues that have long plagued on-field bullpens do not remove their special, if a bit obscure, place in baseball history.

Beyond Randy Johnson’s ALDS showing with the Mariners, there have been full-extension catches, folding chair interferences, final outs of the World Series and, of course, the flip play.

For that reason, a couple of MLB players acknowledged the contributions of the setup, even if they’d rather it change.

“I think it’s unique that some of the fields have it, especially the two of them here in the Bay (Area),” said A’s outfielder Robbie Grossman. “It’s an interesting aspect of the field.”

On Oct. 13, 2001, in Game 3 of the ALDS, A’s outfielder Terrance Long rolled a Mike Mussina pitch down the right field line and into the great expanse of foul territory in Oakland. The ball trickled over the visiting bullpen mound and into the corner. Yankees right fielder Shane Spencer missed both cut-off men with his heave toward the infield as Jeremy Giambi rounded the bases.

What happened next is seared into the mind of A’s fans and at the center of shortstop Derek Jeter’s Hall of Fame legacy.

“Unbelievable play,” former Yankees second baseman Alfonso Soriano told the New York Times . “I think, after that play, we had more motivation to win the series. I think that’s the big key of the series, that play.”

Elite fielders like Chapman use expanded foul territory to bolster their defensive credentials. Chapman said he prefers bullpens away from the field, but he smiled when asked if he has fun ranging back in the Coliseum.

“For sure, it definitely is to my advantage being a quick third baseman and being able to get to those balls,” Chapman said, “so I enjoy it to an extent.”

Sometimes, though, what happens down the lines can frustrate defenders. Last July, A's right fielder Stephen Piscotty was obstructed by Giants right-hander. Melancon had been sitting in a white folding chair, which he moved into Piscotty's path. The tying run came around to score as a result.

The unexpected nature of what happens in foul territory feeds into a unique atmosphere among home fans in Oakland, San Francisco and Tampa Bay.

Relationships are often built between the crowd situated around the bullpen and nearby fielders or relievers warming up.

“In Oakland, you see a lot of the same faces behind the bullpen every night,” Doolittle said. “As a home player that was nice. You develop a little bit of a rapport with them and can have fun with them over the course of the season. It’s a little bit of a different story when you’re the road team.”

And when you’re the ball boy.

Manny Garcia, Oakland’s third base line protector, gets all kinds of barbs thrown his way from A’s relievers sitting near him. He said the harshest come from left-hander Ryan Buchter.

Even though Garcia has made a couple of viral plays this season to save the pitchers just behind him, any miss is picked apart.

“They mess with me,” Garcia said. “If I get lazy and not (make a play), they’re like, ‘Dude, what are you doing? You gotta step up your game. You’re getting too comfortable.’”

Said Buchter with a smile: “His head is a little big. He needs to continue working and not let the fame get to (him).”

In addition to the long history of plays made in the vicinity of on-field bullpens, these are the types of back-and-forths that have made them a unique aspect of baseball culture. Perhaps no active stadium embodies all that is good and bad about them than the Coliseum, the park seen around the league as the wonkiest because of its foul ground.

“This is always a bizarre place to come to,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “Games just are different here. Weird things happen.”

‘Our design philosophy is always evolving’

Rookie left-hander A.J. Puk, one of two active MLB pitchers standing at least 6-7, had spent the three years as Oakland’s most anticipated prospect before reaching the big league club. Tommy John surgery pushed back his debut by more than a year, and the team waited most of this month for him to rebuild his stamina during minor league rehab appearances.

He was easy to spot when he began throwing in the A’s bullpen on Aug. 21 ahead of his first appearance — there aren’t many giant lefties with golden manes around the league. Fans around the stadium, but especially down the third base line, murmured as his practice heaters produced an audible pop in the catcher’s mitt. The reception he received from the crowd upon entering drew the attention of manager Bob Melvin, who’s been around the big leagues since 1985.

"Usually I don't really take too much notice of an applause for someone coming into the game," Melvin said. "But it was pretty significant. You couldn't help but notice that."

Said Puk: "I definitely heard it. It was great."

Puk’s first three pitches registered on the radar gun at 98, 99 and 98. It was apparent right away why he’d received so much hype since being selected No. 6 overall in the 2016 MLB draft. He will probably be one of the last can’t-miss prospects to receive such boisterous welcome from a slab located on the field. The A’s, Giants and Rays are believed by to be ready for a move away from those bullpens in the near future, through either renovation or entirely new stadiums. Populous has established beyond-the-wall bullpens as the norm, and Chambers, the designer from that firm, said he expects it to stay that way.

One of the lasting joys of stadium architecture, he mused, was the ability to incorporate league and player feedback to transform the way baseball looks. The sport's new, safer character comes at the expense of on-field bullpens, which may not be missed but will certainly be remembered by the fans who grew up with them.

“Our design philosophy is always evolving,” Chambers said. “The thing that’s great about baseball is that it allows both the (baseball) team and the design team to really think about experience. … You can really alter the way the game is played.”